Huntsville kitchen built for performance

This Huntsville kitchen is made of FSC-recycled Pine -- the same as was used for floors of the house. 

The backsplash is made from the roof tiles of a local barn that have been burnished and waxed. The countertop is Brazilian Slate -- a nice green that compliments the pine wood drawer fronts. 

All of the drawers are on full extension Blum Tandem Box Slides. For efficiency, they're all the same size, cutting down on cost while providing a wealth of storage and a continuous repeat pattern for visual interest. The drawer system makes everything perfectly accessible. Put simply, this kitchen works.

The kitchen is lit ambiently with pot lights; xenon pucks under the upper cabinets provide task lighting. 

Huntsville home oozes warmth

We converted this space from what was once an after-thought into a bright, clean master bed and bathroom with warm wood textured floors and trim, and selected antique fixturing like the claw & ball foot tub and overized pedestal sink. These pieces make a strong statement on an otherwise clean and understated pallette. 

We used architectural lighting to accentuate the richness of the wood and create great atmosphere. For instance, there's a light directly overhead the tub that illuminates only the area you need for reading when you are reclined in the bath.

Note the pronounced old sawtooth marks on the floor, especially the one below the tub.

From cold kitchen to warm study

This second floor area was originally the kitchen of a duplex. Our challenge was to convert it into a space that would work in its new single family dwelling application. 

We employed a continuous solid wood countertop all the way around, which affords tremendous layout capacity. We used spalted maple, which, in addition to its strength, provides a spectacular colour pattern.

The shelving systems align with the top lines of the windows, which were relocated and enlarged to brighten the space. Puck lights provide task lighting, and low-voltage pot lights double for ambient and task. Both are dimmable.

Yonge Street bank building restored

From time to time, the owners of this former bank building have asked us to look at various elements of their property. Our most recent engagement involved replacing some of the decorative corbels and masonry which had spalled due to roof leakage. We chose a 50-year paint coating (Dow Corning Allguard) on the previously painted elements. We also addressed a challenge inherent to the building's north facade being butted against a hillock where the railway line runs. There's a wild space there where too many trees were overlapping the property line. By removing approximately 40 smallish stems (four to eight inches in diameter), we were able to provide the area with more light, provide better air movement, and a dryer micro-climate, thereby making it a more pleasant space. Watch the film

Dayvan Showroom complete

In designing the downtown Toronto designer showroom for Dayvan (a division of Richelieu), we transformed a dark, 700-square foot contractors' order desk into a 2500-square foot display space.   

We appropriated approximately 1000-square feet from their warehouse, and to ensure the warehouse wouldn't be compromised, redesigned parts of it to be more efficient. This included vertical shelving, a new pick-up counter (with integrated storage), and a mezzanine. The mezzanine was simple to integrate and only required heavier framing -- so it was a no-brainer.

Steel posts were installed throughout the showroom to support the existing masonry stories above, and were then clad in FSC-recycled quarter-sawn Southern Yellow Pine, which was used along with Douglas Fir for the casings, baseboards, frieze, valence, sills, millwork and boardroom table. 

We wanted to make the space as flexible as possible so, rather than putting on a drywall or a dropped acoustic-tile ceiling, we stripped back all the layers -- reconfiguring the sprinkler system and incorporating a low-voltage track lighting system on four separate dimming channels. By exposing the ceiling joists and wood floor decking above and spray painting it all white, we made it visually interesting, bright and clean.

We polished all of the concrete floors in lieu of tiling or carpeting as we didn't want to add a layer of something just for the sake of it. It's beautiful, maintenance-free, and wears its history proudly. 

Wherever possible, we incorporated products that would be sold in the showroom itself, such as the MechoShades window coverings, MWH and crowder sliding door tracking systems.